Can income diversification resolve social-ecological traps in small-scale fisheries and aquaculture in the global south? A case study of response diversity in the Tam Giang lagoon, central Vietnam

Abstract

ABSTRACT. Small-scale fishers and aquaculturists in the global south often face reinforcing feedbacks between resource degradation and livelihood impoverishment, a situation conceptualized as a social-ecological trap. It is argued that these traps can be overcome through income diversification, i.e., livelihoods that are maintained from variable income sources. Our aim was to further scrutinize that claim using the concept of response diversity. To do so, we applied the concept and analyzed income diversification in the Tam Giang lagoon, central Vietnam. Based on our analysis, we argue that high diversity in income activities does not necessarily lead to an escape from social-ecological traps. Although diversity in income activities in the case of the Tam Giang lagoon is relatively high, fisheries-and aquaculture-related income activities continue to dominate livelihood portfolios. The various gear and structures that these activities include all exploit the same ecologies, habitats, and niches of the lagoon. This finding triggers questions concerning the relative contribution of income activities to household income, but also how activities are (differently) connected to natural environments. Income diversification can only sustain natural resources and improve human well-being if it truly transforms livelihoods by connecting local users in new ways to ecologies and societies.

Beyond social-ecological traps: fostering transformations towards sustainability

“…The study raises a suite of questions around how to quantify and interpret the complex patterns of how people live their lives and incorporate this knowledge into the design of credible theories of change for development and conservation initiatives that focus on livelihood diversification. Hanh and Boonstra (2018) evaluate income diversification as a way to weaken social-ecological traps in small-scale fisheries and aquaculture in the Global South, through a case study in the Tam Giang lagoon, in Vietnam. They find that livelihood diversification, which in their case occurred primarily through work in fisheries, aquaculture, and some paid labor, improved peoples' well-being.…”

“…Yet, diversification also increased socialecological vulnerability. For example, "well-being deteriorated whenever there were changes related to the lagoon ecology, such as during the collapse of aquaculture from 2004 to 2006 and an ecological disaster in 2016" (Hanh and Boonstra 2018). They also highlight that improvements in well-being, made through livelihood diversification, came at the expense of the sustainability of lagoon resources.…”

“…Two papers explore the critical role of Indigenous knowledge in supporting well-being and ecological sustainability (Eckert et al 2018, Long andLake 2018). Other articles analyze the disruptive potential of comanagement initiatives (Andrachuk et al 2018, Hanh and Boonstra 2018, Steenbergen and Warren 2018, van Brakel et al 2018. Two insightful articles highlight gender inequality as a social institution that inhibits sustainable development (Cole et al 2018, Fröcklin et al 2018.…”

Intangible links between household livelihoods and food security in Solomon Islands: implications for rural development

“…Diversifying livelihoods has become a key strategy to disrupt social-ecological traps by seeking to decouple poverty and overexploitation dynamics in many parts of the world (e.g., Barrett et al 2001, Ellis and Allison 2004, Cinner 2011, Haider et al 2018. Interdisciplinary research has focused on how poor or vulnerable households endure or succeed under difficult circumstances by examining the composition of their livelihoods (e.g., Collins et al 2009, Blythe et al 2014, Finkbeiner 2015, Hanh and Boonstra 2018. Ellis (1998Ellis ( , 2000 clearly articulates how diverse livelihood assets increase the capabilities of rural households to raise their living standards and manage uncertainty.…”

“…This is an area where there is still much to learn for both rural development and conservation programs because diversification can also expose new vulnerability (Lauer 2014, Eriksson et al 2017. Kotschy et al (2015) and Hanh and Boonstra (2018) have begun to explore the limits to livelihood diversity and diversification. At some point, the benefits from having multiple sources of livelihoods can become outweighed by the effort to sustain them and can depend on which activities are involved in the livelihood portfolio (Béné et al 2011).…”